This NCPD blog post features an excerpt from NCPD’s first course, “Celebration of the Sacraments with Persons with Disabilities” which will be launched in June! If you would like to be contacted when the course launches, sign up here. 

I’m willing to bet that some of you who will take NCPD’s course on the sacraments may have some mistaken ideas about access to the Sacraments and those with disabilities. Some of those ideas might include that those who cannot articulate belief in the Real Presence cannot receive the Eucharist.

To debunk this idea, I would like to first of all assure you that even those who are not able to verbalize belief in the Eucharist can and should have the opportunity to receive this Sacrament, especially if there are other (nonverbal) ways for them to express their belief.

Remember, the sacraments (especially the Eucharist) are more than just doctrinal beliefs –they are encounters with the living God. When you are looking to assess Sacramental readiness, you should first of all (as the above documents state) err on the side of the right of the Baptized person with disabilities to have access to the Sacraments. Click here to continue reading this article from ncpd.org.